Walzamania is running wild. I checked out his resume and background. He is the best choice and a decent human. Which is rare in these times. I give props where it is due for Dems not fucking up here.
Hey! We didn’t say you could have him!
RUDE!!!
(Kidding. He will be an awesome VP.)
I’m sad cause the dude managed to get a ton of shit through with a one vote majority here. He’s a good politician that doesn’t bs too much. Course the right here is as crazy as anywhere, if more democrats in the us were like mn democrats more shit would get done ignoring the cheese and wine coalition.
There's a reason why we are a consistently blue voting state in presidential elections. The vast majority aren't wealthy landowning types. We also have a very educated population. Is it more educated than other states? I don't know, but we pride ourselves on it.
I'm gonna miss him as governor, but damn if he doesn't solidify the ticket.
I had the privilege of hearing him speak to the Kansas Democratic Party earlier this year and was kind of blown away by him. She made the right choice.
Not an astronaut but I'll take it
Wondered where I remembered him from, it was this juxtaposition of photos:
Additional context: around the same time Governor Walz (upper) was signing a bill for guaranteed school lunches the Governer of Arkansas (lower) was signing a bill rolling back protections on child labor.
That photo of him! Every person in it is so genuinely happy! Brought tears to my eyes.
Hot Damn! The DNC didn't fuck up so fucking happy to be wrong and she didn't pick Shapiro.
I'm shocked, honestly. Shapiro is the canonical post-Clinton Democrat, all the consent manufacturers were clearly pulling for him.
As one of the leftmost members of the D voting coalition its a strange feeling to not be getting continuously shat upon.
Yeah well lets hope this all true. All the articles are saying "sources close to " I want to hear it from her mouth. Regardless I am excited about voting for the first time since 2016 when Bernie first ran. Lets fucking go! Only thing stopping us now is if the GOP cheat which I hear they already planning a coup using the courts so lets make it such a huge landslide they can't win that way.
She posted it to her Instagram: .
Awesome! Thank you I had not seen that.
❤️❤️❤️
No way in hell they would have picked Shapiro. People would get him mixed up with Ben Shapiro. It's absurd he was even in the running.
Well then every gd progressive who says there are so many better get off their asses and vote then.
Not upset about the pick in the least but this is progressives time to shine.
Edit- you all act as if Im rooting against that. I actually want a ton of normal non-voters to actually come out and vote for Harris-walz
Whoa whoa whoa. So Harris is laffin, and Walz is smilin??? Too much happiness.
Yeah I know I'm well into auntie territory because I had the same reaction.
Those poor kids going to work in the mines in the lower pic.
The one kid totally has "wtf?" face going on. I feel bad for those kids. Their parents are all probably total scum bags.
They want to be at home playing Roblox, but their parents made them wear ties and have their hair slicked into place. All to support a bill where they're going to be playing less Roblox.
I would also point out, not to give Huckabee any credit, but the silver lining of that bill might allow kids trying to gain freedom from abusive homes, permitting them to go job hunting on their own (although 14/15 seems super young regardless - they couldn't without someone signing off otherwise). The downsides is parents forcing kids to go to work in dangerous jobs (to your point).
freedom from abusive homes, permitting them to go job hunting on their own
While i see what you're saying, i think the lede is buried. the important change in law is here:
The state also no longer has to verify the age of those under 16 before they take a job.
The state isn't even checking how old these children are. And the younger a kid is, the more easily they are exploited. And the power dynamic between boss and kiddo is worse. All this will do is make kids easy to exploit
I don't have to tell y'all, right? How many hours got stolen from you as kids? Or what kind of crap did you put up with before you knew better?
Without laws letting child workers maintain their own bank account in their own name without parents being co owners allowed to drain it at any time, children working become money pinatas for abusive parents.
I say this as someone who would have benefitted from being independent earlier. My uncle did have me work at 14, and when I went to the bank I found he had stolen every penny, and because I was a minor I had no legal recourse to get it back.
A few years later the courts emancipated me, but it didn't return the money he had stolen. Mind you, he was not working at the time himself and he got a few hundred from the state a month to care for me, and he spent what he stole on computer parts so he could game.
Children working only is in the child's benefit if there are ironclad laws allowing them to keep their money, and right now there is not.
Gov. Tim Walz signs universal school meals bill into law
vs
Arkansas Gov. Sanders signs a law that makes it easier to employ children
I literally laughed out loud when I read the second headline. The kids faces says it all.
Here is a suggested edit for you, just use this image:
Is he in the Sarah Huckabee photo? I don't recognize him if he is. That article doesn't even mention him.
No he isn't, it's comparing the two, one is Walz (D) signing a law to bring free lunches for school children in his state, the other is sarah huckabee (R) signing a law to claw back child labor laws in her state
I'm not really sure why that would be relevant in this context. Was Huckabee running for VP? Why include her?
Primarily because I was sharing how the photos are linked in my memory.
They're also chronologically similar, happening within a week of each.
Lastly, they demonstrate stark differences in policies: a win for the new VP pick who, in my opinion, shows someone who actually cares about children and families.
Ok but do you know how many US Governors there are? 55. You picked one at random and threw it into a comment about a totally different person, place, and circumstance. People might mistakenly think Walz was somehow involved in that shitshow.
I can see this from your perspective now, perhaps my context was lacking. I felt it evident as a recollection but those without the context may misinterpret.
Edit: I've added context, thanks for pressing your point!
As another perspective - it took me a moment or two to work out what was happening in the second picture, but then the whole tableau made sense to me!
I was being a little too aggressive about it, I had a long morning. Sorry.
It took me a bit of morning brain fog processing to understand the context. But then it hit me.
Tim Walz has a history of delighting and helping people, and the excitement of the people (especially the kids) in the room we elated and the picture captured that.
In the other picture, the people that were being "helped' (again the kids) looked unimpressed and even a little letheragic.
It's a comparison of how one person & their party can excite & delight while the other person & their party depress.
There was a ton of ambiguity in the initial statement. I had to read the statement twice and look at the pictures for a moment before I understood the context in my daily morning brain fog. So I don't fault them for asking their initial question.
What I do fault them for is doubling down after the explanations.
Brilliant pick. This is the kind of energy that will get the Midwest to drive this national election and bring enough casserole for everyone at the potluck
From Minnesota, respectfully, it is hotdish not casserole.
A casserole is a hotdish, but a hotdish is not necessarily a casserole.
Alright, I'll bite, what distinguishes a hot dish from a casserole? Tater tot crust?
3 cups of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing.
Truthfully, the utilitarian nature of the dish.
Nothing, it just makes them feel special.
And we will convert everyone to "duck, duck, grey duck".
Please no, so much culture shock when I first heard that one.
I heard this in the voice of Pumat Sol
/ Walter White meme/
You Betcha.
Everybody anxious about a VP Shapiro can finally get a little bit of sleep now lol
What's the nervousness about with regards to him?
He has a lot of baggage that has the potential to tank the ticket and stifle the positive trajectory Kamala has going. Part of her momentum is hoping for a better stance on Gaza compared to Biden and Shapiro would be harmful for that image. You can argue some of it isn't justified, but politics is more emotional than rational and even past that some of his negatives are tough to swallow - like response to protestors, school vouchers, potential cover-up of an aides sexual misconduct...
It's just an unnecessarily vulnerable pick.
So assuming Harris and Walz are going to be more difficult for Netanyahu to negotiate with, does this increase chances of a ceasefire in Gaza?
Probably.
I would think that it is more likely for Netanyahu to do something desperately stupid before the US election to try to change the conversation. Like start a war with Iran as the October surprise...
Waltz is a Zionist too, just not as zealous as Shapiro. I see no reason to believe the future will look any different from the current administration's policies. Aka unconditional support for Israel with a couple strongly worded statements every once in a while
When he served in the House from 2007-2019, he frequently took pro-Israel votes, including voting to condemn a United Nations resolution affirming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal
Mark Mellman, the chairman of Democratic Majority for Israel's super PAC, praised Harris' selection of Walz in a statement, calling him a "proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record of supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship."
Walz has never diverged from the party line of unconditionally supporting Israel, a position illustrated by his comments earlier this year at an event held by the Jewish Community Relations Council.
“The ability of Jewish people to self-determine themselves is foundational … The failure to recognise the state of Israel is taking away that self-determination. So it is anti-Semitic,” he said.
Thanks, makes sense.
Mostly about Gaza. Iirc he was rough on shutting down protests and is pretty pro Israel in general. Not sure if he ever commented on Palestinian civilians directly.
Yeah people were assuming it was him because of the announcement being in Philly when it's probably just a scheduling question
Just took a stroll through his Wikipedia page and he does seem a better than average politician
Has a record of defeating incumbent Republicans
Seems to be on the proper side of most policy
But more importantly, by far, seems to be a guy actually capable of learning from his mistakes
But more importantly, by far, seems to be a guy actually capable of learning from his mistakes
Unfortunately many people like when their guy never makes mistakes (or at least convinces you that all of their egregious mistakes are someone else's fault or were never actually mistakes to begin with)
Exactly, and often "we" even fault them from changing opinions which renders politicians unable to correct any stance
There is a huge difference between a flip flopper and someone who actually learns from the nuance of the issues and shifts their stance
I am so fucking excited to vote.
I'm a registered libertarian. Despite the craziness, I don't plan on changing that. I wouldn't have voted for Biden, strictly because I live in a state that has 0% chance of flipping, BUT I routinely vote for democrats in senate/house/local races where my vote actually does make a difference. I also encouraged friends with similar mindsets in battleground states to vote Biden.
I think the democratic party needs to fracture, it just needs to fracture AFTER the republican party.
All of that is a setup to say: I also am excited, and if someone like me is excited, I think that's a DAMN good sign. I cannot wait to piss and moan about a Harris admin. It is a big damn country, I look forward to disagreement returning to the point it doesn't result in erosion of fundamental rights and democracy itself, not to mention godamn violent insurrection.
The only thing that can fracture the two party system is ranked choice or alternative voting systems. FPTP guarantees two parties.
The problem is that FPTP massively benefits democrats and republicans so they're unlikely to want to vote against it. So, to get it passed you'd need to get a third party in power that doesn't benefit from FPTP. But, you can't get a third party in power because FPTP makes it virtually impossible to elect third party candidates.
It's a catch-22 situation.
In Canada the Liberal party made an election promise that they would scrap FPTP if elected. They're one of two main parties in Canada, along with the Conservatives. Of course, as soon as they won the election, they backed out of that promise.
Wasn't Maine or some state experimenting with it?
And I can't wait. I am firmly in support of ranked choice. I think it's absence is the root cause of a lot of issues and should be a single issue voter issue... second ONLY to the fact that there is a "candidate" in the running who is responsible for a Temu quality coup.
Again (not for you but others), I know the issues of my party. It's my party not my religion. I am uncomfortable with the compromises democrats make. The thing about coalition governments and multi-party systems is they allow compromises to happen while keeping support and acknowledging they are compromises in the name of pragmatism. It's the way it should be, it's how we get the best of all ideas.
There are things that should never be compromised. I'm a libertarian because Obama was in favor of "strong civil unions", renewed the patriot act, and kept Guantanamo open. In a coalition government, I maybe could have understood that, but that's the issue: without a coalition, and without ranked choice, those are now principles of the democratic party.
And again, it's all secondary to being able to vote at all in 2028. Harris is going to have a hell of a time, but I'm excited for it.
In the the absence of Ranked Choice, we likely would need to get involved at the Primary level in order to fundamentally change the party. Primary turnout rates are like 10% or something absurdly low.
Giddyup. In the meantime I'll vociferously vote for the folks who 1) aren't seditionist assholes who call my friends non humans 2) don't use passing point 1 to do other heinous shit. Voting in primaries is paramount, it makes people scared.
that is not the correct analysis. the correct analysis is that strategic voting in a fptp system leads to party consolidation. the solution is values voting
Oh you did it! You solved the spoiler effect! Let me know how that works for you.
Killing the GOP is in your best interest if fracturing the Democratic Party is what you want. Progressives have been ready to bail since 2016. It's not likely to make American politics any less statist, though.
Significant electoral reform is the only other path, and any constitutional amendment is not happening without a major cultural shift in partisanship.
By the way for anyone reading that wants the end of the Trump era, I'm also in a 0% chance state, and this will be the first time I vote for the Democrat on the presidential ticket since moving here, and I encourage others in similar positions to turn out and do the same. I always vote third party to give them extra relevance, but this is a year where the popular vote total will matter. Running up the score will be necessary to make false election integrity claims irrelevant.
Killing the GOP is in your best interest if fracturing the Democratic Party is what you want. Progressives have been ready to bail since 2016. It’s not likely to make American politics any less statist, though.
'nuff said. Right there with you. As per the rest, like I said I vote out idiots when I can, and I'm avoiding naming the state because it's the internet, but we do pretty well in terms of workers rights, civil rights, and healthcare (yes there are libertarians who support MFA etc), so I think it's important to indicate that, especially for local issues, the national issue of the party means less.
But I hear you and you do you. I'm pretty damn far from accelerationist, but if we really can't keep to clear cut things like the EC... well... we've got far bigger issues.
I am too. I went from being convinced we were heading straight to tyranny and now I am excited for a potential future with actual liberals at the helm.
Pleasence check your voter registration status, even if you always vote. They are doing what they can, to keep good people from voting.
Between the response to this ticket and the big antitrust win today, this is the most optimistic I've been about the direction of American politics in a very long time.
Is....is this... Is this what hope feels like? 😔
Doesn't matter if we don't actually go vote.
So to clarify (after the double negative), it DOES matter to actually go vote.
Whatever it is im killing it before it gets infectious, good work is never done and complacency ensures it wont be strong.
Almost feels like those hopeful Bernie days. Happy to know Walz was his pick too.
I'm in absolute shock that the Dems didn't go with Shapiro.
My sister used to be the head of the environmental department of one of the suburbs of Minneapolis. She's met Tim Walz a few times, and has had nothing but good things to say about both his personality and his attitude toward the environment. The US has pretty slim pickings for good politicians these days, but I really feel that Tim is on that list. I'm feeling hopeful about American politics for the first time since I learned about how American politics works!
There are some people who actively try to make you feel like politics in the US is hopelessly broken and you might as well just give up. There are many, many people who just want to make things better, whether that's at the federal, state, local, or hyperlocal level. They might disagree on how to do it, and the best ones are the ones that know how to come up with a reasonable compromise when disagreements arise. If you're interested, always look for opportunities.
This is the most hopeful I've felt about an election, and I've been voting since 1996.
Madame President Mamala Harris, thank you for making the correct choice.
I loved this guy since the juxtaposition photos between him and the child labor folks. I wonder if Harris campaign is getting to make decisions because this whole situation blindsided DNC officials/strategists who have historically made stupid calls. They haven't had 4 years to overthink a campaign.
As cynical as I am, I think laughing Harris just felt a good feeling about smiling Walz that she just didn't get from Shapiro, and no strategist hack was able to convince them otherwise.
DNC sucks at strategy. I think making quick decisive moves, especially with the public's diminished attention span is proving very effective. Campaigns should probably focus on being like 3 months before the elections in this era.
Should Harris win (and especially if she wins big), I could see it changing the nature of campaigning here. Three months goes against all the conventional wisdom.
The media won't be happy about it, but it's past time we bring the press back to public service and away from profiteering anyway.
I think conventional wisdom on political strategy is long overdue for an update.
I suppose this is a good time for me to send that nice donation I've been putting off and hope it helps to let the DNC see what happens when they don't disenfranchise progressives.
Harris's primary campaign seemed to be defined by Harris herself taking progressive-ish positions and then later walking them back after someone in her orbit convinced her she had to be more status quo. Maybe that campaign flaming out has taught her to stop listening to those people.
New York Times called it a "vibes pick". Sounds about right
A campaign stands or falls based on vibes.
Don't get me wrong. This guy seems like a solid choice based on his record, too, but you really can't overstate how important vibes are.
Absolutely, I'm in favor, don't get me wrong
Sounds like NYT is salty.
the guy the popularized calling republicans weird nonetheless
It was an off the cuff remark that struck a nerve. We've all been there with that weird relative that is decked out in MAGA gear.
And they hate when their weirdness is pointed out.
Exactly why he feels like a great pick. He didn't over engineer some tagline to game the attention economy.
He just said what the silent majority is thinking in a down to earth "this is so obvious" kind of way. These people are just weird and ruining the family gathering.
Yeah! I was so worried she'd tank her momentum by picking Shapiro and ham-handedly presenting it. I continue to be impressed with the Harris team's ability to both politic and stay tapped into the people's sentiments.
Except they missed the part where we need someone young instead of a geezer...
He is one year older than her.
When you're an edgy teenager on lemmy, anyone older than 22 is a geezer.
Exactly... he's a geezer. She needed to go with someone younger. If we assume she wins (twice), then Walz will be close to 70 before it is 'his turn'. What a waste. If Dems had gone with someone younger then they could keep the momentum of the youth support AND they'd have someone ready to take over when Harris is done. Now, they'll have to start over in 8 years.
I read that he doesn't want to take his shot at the White House. If Harris wins the election he plans to retire after her second term. She didn't want a veep who saw her as a stepping stone to the Oval Office.
Whether that is wise we will figure out on 2028 (hopefully) but if it's true it provides some context.
I don't necessarily think that the VP spot being a lead-up to a presidential run should be one of the top considerations right now. We need to win this race, 2028 and 2032 can wait their turn.
Beyond that critique, there's a lot the Harris-Walz ticket can do to line up future Dem candidates for many races. For one, this is a big leftward shift for the Dems. That opens up the board for the Squad to make a run in the future. That opens up a path for other, more progressive candidates to fill other positions. We have no idea what the Harris cabinet will look like and a strong cabinet position is also an excellent prelude to a presidential campaign.
Plus, I don't want to get my hopes too high here and indulge in fantasy, but look at what this is doing to Republicans. What if that party shatters post-Trump? Maybe in two: a returning center-right party and an actual fascist party? If the Republicans try to retake the center, that could drive the Dems further left longterm.
tldr, a Harris presidency could go many ways, and I'm not ready to be a pessimist yet! I think this is a good thing especially because it sets us up to do even better in the future!
I don’t necessarily think that the VP spot being a lead-up to a presidential run should be one of the top considerations right now. We need to win this race, 2028 and 2032 can wait their turn.
That is where I'm finding any comfort in the decision. I totally agree that #1 priority has to be getting elected.
Crazy this dude is only a year older than her. Super happy with the pick btw
Black don't crack baby
Being overweight and sedentary also ages you terribly quickly.
He also grew up on a farm and was in the military, sun exposure can greatly accelerate aging of the skin.
And the military ages everything under the skin
Half the pictures I see of him, he reminds me Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston).
Your revolution is over, Mr. Trump. Condolences. The bums lost. My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Donald?
To me, as Bernie Sanders flavored "Socialist", Walz is an amazing pick.
However I had a preference for Kelly since I strongly believe that his history as an astronaut and his popularity in a state like AZ could help drive a lot of independent voters to the Democrat's platform come November.
All that said, progressives know that progressive policy is also extremely popular when messaged broadly and communicating the benefits to the invidual and country. Hopefully Kamama & Walz use their experince with their A* campaign team to drive that home. And then fucking deliver.
I think Kelly was the best political pick for sure. But Kelly is sure to win again in AZ. They need his vote in the Senate.
And that's McCain's seat; not a safe blue one. It's the right call. Everyone is good moving into the election. Smooth, competent, unified as everything needs to be to ensure our democracy survives Trump and his MAGA cult.
Kamama
I like it.
Her stepkids call her Mamala.
Not sure why, but learning this was one of the most humanizing thing I've seen about almost any politician.
Apparently Hillary Clinton really likes spicy foods. She ate raw jalapenos like potato chips on the campaign trail, according to one aid.
For some reason this just makes me sad I love spicy food too, not make her more likeable...
That's almost definitely on my biases against her from the '16 primaries tho.
Who knows, maybe if you had a chance to chat with her over a nice meal of spicy food, you could find some common ground (besides the food). Or if nothing else, she has some interesting stories. Like, when she was starting out she worked as a civil rights activist in Alabama proving that "segregation academies" were discriminating against Black applicants in violation of the law. They openly assured her that they would not let Black students in. More broadly, this proved that the Nixon administration was not enforcing the law.
Health care, I'm sure she has plenty to say that is far more nuanced than the sound bites that get posted to social media. Social mobility, educational opportunity, racial justice, the justice system, foreign policy. I would love to hear her thoughts, even if I don't agree with everything.
Dude, dinner and a frank conversation with Hillary Clinton would be one of the highlights of my life. She has seen some shit.
It really says a lot that all you did was mention a progressive thing she did and this seems to have upset several people who still want to cling to their GOP implanted delusion that she is the neoliberal devil.
I'm just migrating from lemmy.ml. A couple of downvotes is a nice upgrade from the atmosphere over there.
Did Sean get her on Hot Ones yet?
Alas, no. She did do an interview with Between Two Ferns, though.
Me moo
I believe Walz is a good pick because he'll drive the more apathetic voters into the voting booths. He helps keep the momentum of hope Harris has going for her right now. Plus Kelly will hop onboard anyway.
This is a side of the old Blue buffoons I wish we had seen years ago.
However I had a preference for Kelly
They didn't want to pull an incumbent Democratic Senator in a swing state. Too risky.
It's an interesting pick for sure. I was also thinking Kelly as the obvious, safe answer to score cheap points and also maybe shore up AZ. Walz is more of an optimistic, less cynical pick that leans into the progressive side further. It's possible that's what's needed to keep the momentum going.
Kelly would have been a political disaster. His gun control stance would alienate a lot of pro-gun moderates and his Senate seat would almost certainly end up going to a Republican.
Shapiro would have been the politically safest choice because he'd all but guarantee Pennsylvania, which Harris needs to win. But his handling of college protests has been disgusting.
Walz is a great pick. Veteran, teacher, football coach, Congressman, and Governor is a heck of a resume. He was also the highest-ranked enlisted man to ever serve in Congress.
He has also been willing to defy his party. He sided against the party with the bank and GM bailouts, and was even endorsed by the NRA until they became 100% partisan.
He's like a less-privileged, Democratic John McCain.
I really like Walz partially because he's not the obvious pick for political maneuvering. It indicates he was picked because he was the right choice, not just because it was politically expedient. Shapiro and Kelly could both be dismissed as just chosen to win a state, not because they're actually the best choice to serve as VP.
Uh oh Donny! He's a veteran, too! You wouldn't shit on a veteran, right?
You mean again, right?
Oh of course! My bad
I'm curious what voters will think of the two VP candidates military service.
JD Vance was in the Marine Corps as an corporal for 4 years and served in Iraq, but he served as a combat correspondent, a military journalist, not in a combat capacity.
Walz was in the Army National Guard as an enlisted soldier for 24 years. AFAIK he was never in combat, but his specialty (heavy artillery) was definitely a combat-oriented one. He also achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, which is a very high rank for an enlisted soldier.
IMO, being in the Marine Corps sounds more impressive than being in the National Guard. But, 4 years as a combat correspondent sounds a lot less impressive than 24 years, starting out in artillery and moving up to a Command Sergeant Major role.
Vance was not an officer. I don't mean that disparagingly, he just wasn't. He served a 4 year enlistment.
If you're comparing their careers, a sergeant major is a titan compared to a corporal. One of them was primarily concerned with taking pictures and not getting shot. The other made a career studying the art of leadership. It's literally not even a contest.
Oops, I thought Vance was an officer, not an enlisted member. Thanks for the correction.
As for Walz, I don't know how quickly he advanced through the ranks, but IMO a Command Sergeant Major is one of the most impressive titles. It's a leadership rank but done the hard way. If you enter the military as an officer, you immediately outrank 80% of the military. A Command Sergeant Major has to practice the difficult art of leading people who technically outrank them.
Yeah. And quite often they're the ones responsible for standing up to the officers to protect the privates. I've had bad ones but a good sergeant major can make a huge difference in a unit.
protect the privates
I'm all about someone who can protect the privates.
You can ask John Kerry about that
As much as I would have liked to see her make a strategic pick who could help her win an at risk state like Arizona or Pennsylvania, he has less baggage than Shapiro.
I think too, there's strategy in a non-strategic pick. The cynics would have said "Oh, she only picked Shapiro because she needs Pennsylvania" or "Yeah, yeah, he's an astronaut, but she wants Arizona".
In this case? I think he's going to be a delight to watch. He'll devastate Vance in the debate.
I think he's pretty strategic, not to any specific state, but to rural Middle America in general. He grew up working on a farm, worked in a factory for a bit, joined the army then worked as a teacher and football coach, he's the salt of the earth common American vance pretends to be. Not saying he'll turn all the rural areas blue but even going from say 20% to 25% will help a lot in those swing states which have a large rural population.
Yeah, but he's no salt-of-the-earth type like JD Vance who is a hilbilly^*^ who attended Yale Law and then worked for totally normal guy Peter Thiel at his Venture Capital firm in San Francisco.
* Not really a hilbilly
I can see that for sure. Do you think his appeal is stronger than Kelly's?
As a resident of a neighboring state, I'm excited to get to vote for someone from somewhere so close in a national election. If my annecdata happens to apply to more than just me that might help in Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas (although culturally the dakotas are more comparable to their neighbors to the west, while Minnesota is culturally closer to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin)
Granted I only married into a Minnesotan family and my experience with the Dakotas is fairly limited, but I would have said that they're a pretty broad spectrum from east to west, especially in South Dakota. Rapid City is definitely pretty similar to Montana and Wyoming, but Mitchell, Sioux Falls, and Fargo are all far more similar to Minnesota
Then again, I'm thinking "culturally" not "politically," so if you're thinking about how they vote, you're probably right that they're likely more similar to MT than MN.
Think of it this way: Minnesota has a population of 5.7M, and almost 3M of that is in the metro area of Minneapolis. It's not quite up to the level of Chicago or New York, where that one blue metro area completely dominates state politics, but it's close.
What I'm getting at is while Minnesota does have areas that are more like the Dakotas, those aren't the places where most of the people live.
I see your point, although it doesn't match my anecdotal experience. People from the Twin Cities might vote differently than people in the small rural towns, but many of the everyday attitudes and cultural associations are pretty similar statewide, regardless of whether they are rural or urban. And in my experience, people from the Cities have a lot more in common culturally with the eastern Dakotas, Iowa, and Wisconsin than they do with Chicago and rural Illinois or with Montana and Wyoming.
annecdata
What a lovely term
He'll devastate Vance in the debate.
So would a piece of cheese.
Or a fluffy enough pillow.
She only picked him because she needs to show that she's committed to fixing immigration, because he's from a border state. ;)
I still wonder if Kelly would have delivered more cheap voter appeal, but Walz is doubtless the best pick on merit and policy and will be the better asset as VP should she win.
In the end though I'm just so happy it's not Shapiro (please announce it officially so I can breathe).
I had money on Kelly but Walz fits really well.
For all we know Kelly harbours presidential ambitions.
Walz seems like the kind of guy just happy to be there.
After feeling absolutely hopeless with the democratic direction for basically 3 years, I had put out of my mind the liklihood that they would pick Walz.
As a MN resident I floated him like 4 months ago as a Biden replacement over shitlibs like Newsome, but I honestly didn't expect leadership to consider him for anything other than his current position
I'll be sad to see him go but I'm much less nihilistic about the general now, so I'll take it.
“Kamala Walz” sounds like an Australian dance.
Anyway, after seeing Walz’s record I think he’s a great choice. Unfortunately as VP he’s not a policy-maker, even though the VP can wield some influence, but hopefully his presence will drive things in a positive direction.
Xena & Gabbie dancing for freedom?
Sweet.
One thing I've noticed is almost any female politician, we refer to them by either their first name or the full name, but rarely by their last name. Meanwhile male politicians are almost exclusively referred to by their last name only.
Once I made this realization, I started making a conscious decision to stop saying Kamala and began referring to her as Harris.
I'm ready for a Harris/Walz administration.
Good point. Maybe some minor unconscious psychological bias toward familiarity, therefore reduced expectations and respect for her position.
I was real worried she was gonna re-saddle her campaign with an anti-Palestine running mate. This is a relief and gives me some hope for this Nov.
We can now stand on a solid ticket from top to bottom. Waltz will wipe the floor with Vance.
Waltz will waltz over Vance.
Just an FYI - although it is spelled Walz, he pronounces it walls
Republicans wanted to build the Walz. Well now’s their chance!
I was going to make a joke about the official state dance but Minnesota oddly does not have one. Another recent VP came from a state without an official state dance cough cough Biden cough cough
Thank Christ.
Maybe there’s some hope for Gaza yet.
this is the pick I was hoping for!
Never heard of this guy but a quick search suggests he's got a decent record. I'm not American though so my opinion doesn't matter, but looks like a good pick to me!!
I live in Minnesota and he's been amazing as governor. So many progressive policies passed with the slimmest of majorities in the legislature.
Ill be saddened to lose him as governor, but to see him go onto larger issues and to help more people -- I guess that's a sacrifice we can make. Flanagan seems to a be competent lieutenant gov, so we're still helmed by good people.
Go Harris / Walz!
Good! Harris could have screwed herself with some of the other candidates
I absolutely love a little bit of good news in the morning!
This is okay. Although I think they should've picked Hunter, because he has cooler criminal charges than Trump, and would've been able to out flank the republicans on the crime front.
Great news
The best possible choice she could have made. It fills me with joy the democratic party didn't stand in the way. I for sure thought she was going to pick Obama's boy Shapiro.
Everybody thought she was going to pick Shapiro. Kamala's just full of surprises.
Does this mean Steve Martin returns to SNL?
This is reassuring. I've claimed for a while that Dems are excellent political tacticians, but MAN do they suck at the long-term strategies due to being unwilling to play hardball. Meanwhile, the Right are great at long-term strats and often fail when it comes down to making quick, tactical decisions that fall outside their plans. Then Harris here stepped in after an honestly excellent choice by Biden, and we are seeing just how skillful someone on the Left can be when there isn't any time to be a moron.
Dems, in our own way since 1980.
I live in a blue state and was planning on leaving the president option blank. Especially for Biden, and even for Harris.
I am now actually seriously considering filling in that bubble for Harris / Walz
::: spoiler CNN - News Source Context (Click to view Full Report)
Information for CNN:
MBFC: Left-Center - Credibility: High - Factual Reporting: Mostly Factual - United States of America Wikipedia about this source
:::
I was hoping she would go with Buttigieg as he’s a lot younger and has his head screwed on plus is able to go on Fox and leave intact.
He's 60. One year older than Harris. By comparison, Kennedy is 70 and Trump 78.
Yes but the right will just see aging old grey man.
Which is what they like, go look at the Republicans in Congress.
Oh for sure.
Thankfully the more I see about Walz the more I like.
he seems old?
Ageism still isn't cool.
I meant in that it was a primary insult from the right that is sure to come out again as they have a very limited arsenal.
Kinda hard to lob "he's old" insults when your candidate is 78.
Yeah I know but it probably won’t stop them.
Anyway I think he’s great
I think this was a poor pick. Penn's governor was a good candidate, but also didn't have the George Flyod riots in his political past. You're already seeing Republicans key in on that.
Shapiro is also very anti-Palestine and centrist so... nobody wants him if they can have Walz instead. Walz has accomplished far more positive things than Shapiro.
We need actual social democrats. The great things our nation has weren't the things brought on by centrism, but by progressives like FDR. Tim Walz is just that kind of guy. Democrats need people who won't dedicate their career to attempting bipartisanship or "reaching across the aisle" when the other side of the aisle is the alt-right, and they need someone who isn't controlled by corporate money. Because that kind of refusal to fight back against the right is what got the US into the mess it's in now. Tim Walz doesn't sucker up to fascists, as opposed to centrist Democrats.
Shapiro has a sexual harassment coverup allegation (for a close aide, not himself) and what appears to be serious mismanagement of a stabbing case, where a woman's death was initially ruled a murder, but ultimately his office refused to re-examine the case. It's going before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and might be heard before the election. Harris doesn't need an October Surprise to derail her momentum if it makes Shapiro look bad.
Huh I didn't know about that. Maybe Walz is a better pick then.
I don't ever wanna hear any move about how we need to get old white rich people out of politics, cause you guys clearly don't mean it. This guy is the exception, but so was sanders? Come on.
Get some young blood like buttegieg in there please
He is one year older than her. He is 22 years younger than Biden.
The dude was a teacher and member of the national guard. His net worth before he became governor was $13,000. If that's rich, then we've solved poverty, I guess.
Walz is rich? Wut?
Yuck no. Pete is not what is needed.
I'd be cool with Buttegieg being Secretary of State. Can we push for that?
He would be perfect for the role, and honestly probably more effective use of his talents than as VP.
Walzamania is running wild. I checked out his resume and background. He is the best choice and a decent human. Which is rare in these times. I give props where it is due for Dems not fucking up here.
Hey! We didn’t say you could have him!
RUDE!!!
(Kidding. He will be an awesome VP.)
I’m sad cause the dude managed to get a ton of shit through with a one vote majority here. He’s a good politician that doesn’t bs too much. Course the right here is as crazy as anywhere, if more democrats in the us were like mn democrats more shit would get done ignoring the cheese and wine coalition.
There's a reason why we are a consistently blue voting state in presidential elections. The vast majority aren't wealthy landowning types. We also have a very educated population. Is it more educated than other states? I don't know, but we pride ourselves on it.
I'm gonna miss him as governor, but damn if he doesn't solidify the ticket.
I had the privilege of hearing him speak to the Kansas Democratic Party earlier this year and was kind of blown away by him. She made the right choice.
Not an astronaut but I'll take it
Wondered where I remembered him from, it was this juxtaposition of photos:
Additional context: around the same time Governor Walz (upper) was signing a bill for guaranteed school lunches the Governer of Arkansas (lower) was signing a bill rolling back protections on child labor.
https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/gov-tim-walz-signs-universal-school-meals-bill-into-law/
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/10/1162531885/arkansas-child-labor-law-under-16-years-old-sarah-huckabee-sanders
That photo of him! Every person in it is so genuinely happy! Brought tears to my eyes.
Hot Damn! The DNC didn't fuck up so fucking happy to be wrong and she didn't pick Shapiro.
I'm shocked, honestly. Shapiro is the canonical post-Clinton Democrat, all the consent manufacturers were clearly pulling for him.
As one of the leftmost members of the D voting coalition its a strange feeling to not be getting continuously shat upon.
Yeah well lets hope this all true. All the articles are saying "sources close to " I want to hear it from her mouth. Regardless I am excited about voting for the first time since 2016 when Bernie first ran. Lets fucking go! Only thing stopping us now is if the GOP cheat which I hear they already planning a coup using the courts so lets make it such a huge landslide they can't win that way.
She posted it to her Instagram:
.
Awesome! Thank you I had not seen that.
❤️❤️❤️
No way in hell they would have picked Shapiro. People would get him mixed up with Ben Shapiro. It's absurd he was even in the running.
Well then every gd progressive who says there are so many better get off their asses and vote then.
Not upset about the pick in the least but this is progressives time to shine.
Edit- you all act as if Im rooting against that. I actually want a ton of normal non-voters to actually come out and vote for Harris-walz
Whoa whoa whoa. So Harris is laffin, and Walz is smilin??? Too much happiness.
Yeah I know I'm well into auntie territory because I had the same reaction.
Those poor kids going to work in the mines in the lower pic.
The one kid totally has "wtf?" face going on. I feel bad for those kids. Their parents are all probably total scum bags.
They want to be at home playing Roblox, but their parents made them wear ties and have their hair slicked into place. All to support a bill where they're going to be playing less Roblox.
I would also point out, not to give Huckabee any credit, but the silver lining of that bill might allow kids trying to gain freedom from abusive homes, permitting them to go job hunting on their own (although 14/15 seems super young regardless - they couldn't without someone signing off otherwise). The downsides is parents forcing kids to go to work in dangerous jobs (to your point).
While i see what you're saying, i think the lede is buried. the important change in law is here:
The state isn't even checking how old these children are. And the younger a kid is, the more easily they are exploited. And the power dynamic between boss and kiddo is worse. All this will do is make kids easy to exploit
I don't have to tell y'all, right? How many hours got stolen from you as kids? Or what kind of crap did you put up with before you knew better?
Without laws letting child workers maintain their own bank account in their own name without parents being co owners allowed to drain it at any time, children working become money pinatas for abusive parents.
I say this as someone who would have benefitted from being independent earlier. My uncle did have me work at 14, and when I went to the bank I found he had stolen every penny, and because I was a minor I had no legal recourse to get it back.
A few years later the courts emancipated me, but it didn't return the money he had stolen. Mind you, he was not working at the time himself and he got a few hundred from the state a month to care for me, and he spent what he stole on computer parts so he could game.
Children working only is in the child's benefit if there are ironclad laws allowing them to keep their money, and right now there is not.
vs
I literally laughed out loud when I read the second headline. The kids faces says it all.
Here is a suggested edit for you, just use this image:
Is he in the Sarah Huckabee photo? I don't recognize him if he is. That article doesn't even mention him.
No he isn't, it's comparing the two, one is Walz (D) signing a law to bring free lunches for school children in his state, the other is sarah huckabee (R) signing a law to claw back child labor laws in her state
I'm not really sure why that would be relevant in this context. Was Huckabee running for VP? Why include her?
Primarily because I was sharing how the photos are linked in my memory.
They're also chronologically similar, happening within a week of each.
Lastly, they demonstrate stark differences in policies: a win for the new VP pick who, in my opinion, shows someone who actually cares about children and families.
Ok but do you know how many US Governors there are? 55. You picked one at random and threw it into a comment about a totally different person, place, and circumstance. People might mistakenly think Walz was somehow involved in that shitshow.
I can see this from your perspective now, perhaps my context was lacking. I felt it evident as a recollection but those without the context may misinterpret.
Edit: I've added context, thanks for pressing your point!
As another perspective - it took me a moment or two to work out what was happening in the second picture, but then the whole tableau made sense to me!
I was being a little too aggressive about it, I had a long morning. Sorry.
It took me a bit of morning brain fog processing to understand the context. But then it hit me.
Tim Walz has a history of delighting and helping people, and the excitement of the people (especially the kids) in the room we elated and the picture captured that.
In the other picture, the people that were being "helped' (again the kids) looked unimpressed and even a little letheragic.
It's a comparison of how one person & their party can excite & delight while the other person & their party depress.
Just gonna drop this here...
https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/reading-comprehension
There was a ton of ambiguity in the initial statement. I had to read the statement twice and look at the pictures for a moment before I understood the context in my daily morning brain fog. So I don't fault them for asking their initial question.
What I do fault them for is doubling down after the explanations.
Brilliant pick. This is the kind of energy that will get the Midwest to drive this national election and bring enough casserole for everyone at the potluck
From Minnesota, respectfully, it is hotdish not casserole.
A casserole is a hotdish, but a hotdish is not necessarily a casserole.
Alright, I'll bite, what distinguishes a hot dish from a casserole? Tater tot crust?
3 cups of Pepperidge Farm Cornbread Stuffing.
Truthfully, the utilitarian nature of the dish.
Nothing, it just makes them feel special.
And we will convert everyone to "duck, duck, grey duck".
Please no, so much culture shock when I first heard that one.
I heard this in the voice of Pumat Sol
/ Walter White meme/
You Betcha.
Everybody anxious about a VP Shapiro can finally get a little bit of sleep now lol
What's the nervousness about with regards to him?
He has a lot of baggage that has the potential to tank the ticket and stifle the positive trajectory Kamala has going. Part of her momentum is hoping for a better stance on Gaza compared to Biden and Shapiro would be harmful for that image. You can argue some of it isn't justified, but politics is more emotional than rational and even past that some of his negatives are tough to swallow - like response to protestors, school vouchers, potential cover-up of an aides sexual misconduct...
It's just an unnecessarily vulnerable pick.
So assuming Harris and Walz are going to be more difficult for Netanyahu to negotiate with, does this increase chances of a ceasefire in Gaza?
Probably.
I would think that it is more likely for Netanyahu to do something desperately stupid before the US election to try to change the conversation. Like start a war with Iran as the October surprise...
Waltz is a Zionist too, just not as zealous as Shapiro. I see no reason to believe the future will look any different from the current administration's policies. Aka unconditional support for Israel with a couple strongly worded statements every once in a while
Thanks, makes sense.
Mostly about Gaza. Iirc he was rough on shutting down protests and is pretty pro Israel in general. Not sure if he ever commented on Palestinian civilians directly.
Yeah people were assuming it was him because of the announcement being in Philly when it's probably just a scheduling question
Just took a stroll through his Wikipedia page and he does seem a better than average politician
Has a record of defeating incumbent Republicans
Seems to be on the proper side of most policy
But more importantly, by far, seems to be a guy actually capable of learning from his mistakes
Unfortunately many people like when their guy never makes mistakes (or at least convinces you that all of their egregious mistakes are someone else's fault or were never actually mistakes to begin with)
Exactly, and often "we" even fault them from changing opinions which renders politicians unable to correct any stance
There is a huge difference between a flip flopper and someone who actually learns from the nuance of the issues and shifts their stance
I am so fucking excited to vote.
I'm a registered libertarian. Despite the craziness, I don't plan on changing that. I wouldn't have voted for Biden, strictly because I live in a state that has 0% chance of flipping, BUT I routinely vote for democrats in senate/house/local races where my vote actually does make a difference. I also encouraged friends with similar mindsets in battleground states to vote Biden.
I think the democratic party needs to fracture, it just needs to fracture AFTER the republican party.
All of that is a setup to say: I also am excited, and if someone like me is excited, I think that's a DAMN good sign. I cannot wait to piss and moan about a Harris admin. It is a big damn country, I look forward to disagreement returning to the point it doesn't result in erosion of fundamental rights and democracy itself, not to mention godamn violent insurrection.
The only thing that can fracture the two party system is ranked choice or alternative voting systems. FPTP guarantees two parties.
The problem is that FPTP massively benefits democrats and republicans so they're unlikely to want to vote against it. So, to get it passed you'd need to get a third party in power that doesn't benefit from FPTP. But, you can't get a third party in power because FPTP makes it virtually impossible to elect third party candidates.
It's a catch-22 situation.
In Canada the Liberal party made an election promise that they would scrap FPTP if elected. They're one of two main parties in Canada, along with the Conservatives. Of course, as soon as they won the election, they backed out of that promise.
Wasn't Maine or some state experimenting with it?
And I can't wait. I am firmly in support of ranked choice. I think it's absence is the root cause of a lot of issues and should be a single issue voter issue... second ONLY to the fact that there is a "candidate" in the running who is responsible for a Temu quality coup.
Again (not for you but others), I know the issues of my party. It's my party not my religion. I am uncomfortable with the compromises democrats make. The thing about coalition governments and multi-party systems is they allow compromises to happen while keeping support and acknowledging they are compromises in the name of pragmatism. It's the way it should be, it's how we get the best of all ideas.
There are things that should never be compromised. I'm a libertarian because Obama was in favor of "strong civil unions", renewed the patriot act, and kept Guantanamo open. In a coalition government, I maybe could have understood that, but that's the issue: without a coalition, and without ranked choice, those are now principles of the democratic party.
And again, it's all secondary to being able to vote at all in 2028. Harris is going to have a hell of a time, but I'm excited for it.
In the the absence of Ranked Choice, we likely would need to get involved at the Primary level in order to fundamentally change the party. Primary turnout rates are like 10% or something absurdly low.
Giddyup. In the meantime I'll vociferously vote for the folks who 1) aren't seditionist assholes who call my friends non humans 2) don't use passing point 1 to do other heinous shit. Voting in primaries is paramount, it makes people scared.
that is not the correct analysis. the correct analysis is that strategic voting in a fptp system leads to party consolidation. the solution is values voting
Oh you did it! You solved the spoiler effect! Let me know how that works for you.
Killing the GOP is in your best interest if fracturing the Democratic Party is what you want. Progressives have been ready to bail since 2016. It's not likely to make American politics any less statist, though.
Significant electoral reform is the only other path, and any constitutional amendment is not happening without a major cultural shift in partisanship.
By the way for anyone reading that wants the end of the Trump era, I'm also in a 0% chance state, and this will be the first time I vote for the Democrat on the presidential ticket since moving here, and I encourage others in similar positions to turn out and do the same. I always vote third party to give them extra relevance, but this is a year where the popular vote total will matter. Running up the score will be necessary to make false election integrity claims irrelevant.
'nuff said. Right there with you. As per the rest, like I said I vote out idiots when I can, and I'm avoiding naming the state because it's the internet, but we do pretty well in terms of workers rights, civil rights, and healthcare (yes there are libertarians who support MFA etc), so I think it's important to indicate that, especially for local issues, the national issue of the party means less.
But I hear you and you do you. I'm pretty damn far from accelerationist, but if we really can't keep to clear cut things like the EC... well... we've got far bigger issues.
I am too. I went from being convinced we were heading straight to tyranny and now I am excited for a potential future with actual liberals at the helm.
Pleasence check your voter registration status, even if you always vote. They are doing what they can, to keep good people from voting.
Between the response to this ticket and the big antitrust win today, this is the most optimistic I've been about the direction of American politics in a very long time.
Is....is this... Is this what hope feels like? 😔
Doesn't matter if we don't actually go vote.
So to clarify (after the double negative), it DOES matter to actually go vote.
Yes. Your vote matters.
We don't need no education...
...Obama had kinda a nice butt
Whatever it is im killing it before it gets infectious, good work is never done and complacency ensures it wont be strong.
Almost feels like those hopeful Bernie days. Happy to know Walz was his pick too.
I'm in absolute shock that the Dems didn't go with Shapiro.
My sister used to be the head of the environmental department of one of the suburbs of Minneapolis. She's met Tim Walz a few times, and has had nothing but good things to say about both his personality and his attitude toward the environment. The US has pretty slim pickings for good politicians these days, but I really feel that Tim is on that list. I'm feeling hopeful about American politics for the first time since I learned about how American politics works!
There are some people who actively try to make you feel like politics in the US is hopelessly broken and you might as well just give up. There are many, many people who just want to make things better, whether that's at the federal, state, local, or hyperlocal level. They might disagree on how to do it, and the best ones are the ones that know how to come up with a reasonable compromise when disagreements arise. If you're interested, always look for opportunities.
This is the most hopeful I've felt about an election, and I've been voting since 1996.
Madame President Mamala Harris, thank you for making the correct choice.
I loved this guy since the juxtaposition photos between him and the child labor folks. I wonder if Harris campaign is getting to make decisions because this whole situation blindsided DNC officials/strategists who have historically made stupid calls. They haven't had 4 years to overthink a campaign.
As cynical as I am, I think laughing Harris just felt a good feeling about smiling Walz that she just didn't get from Shapiro, and no strategist hack was able to convince them otherwise.
DNC sucks at strategy. I think making quick decisive moves, especially with the public's diminished attention span is proving very effective. Campaigns should probably focus on being like 3 months before the elections in this era.
Should Harris win (and especially if she wins big), I could see it changing the nature of campaigning here. Three months goes against all the conventional wisdom.
The media won't be happy about it, but it's past time we bring the press back to public service and away from profiteering anyway.
I think conventional wisdom on political strategy is long overdue for an update.
I suppose this is a good time for me to send that nice donation I've been putting off and hope it helps to let the DNC see what happens when they don't disenfranchise progressives.
Harris's primary campaign seemed to be defined by Harris herself taking progressive-ish positions and then later walking them back after someone in her orbit convinced her she had to be more status quo. Maybe that campaign flaming out has taught her to stop listening to those people.
New York Times called it a "vibes pick". Sounds about right
A campaign stands or falls based on vibes.
Don't get me wrong. This guy seems like a solid choice based on his record, too, but you really can't overstate how important vibes are.
Absolutely, I'm in favor, don't get me wrong
Sounds like NYT is salty.
the guy the popularized calling republicans weird nonetheless
It was an off the cuff remark that struck a nerve. We've all been there with that weird relative that is decked out in MAGA gear.
And they hate when their weirdness is pointed out.
Exactly why he feels like a great pick. He didn't over engineer some tagline to game the attention economy.
He just said what the silent majority is thinking in a down to earth "this is so obvious" kind of way. These people are just weird and ruining the family gathering.
Yeah! I was so worried she'd tank her momentum by picking Shapiro and ham-handedly presenting it. I continue to be impressed with the Harris team's ability to both politic and stay tapped into the people's sentiments.
Except they missed the part where we need someone young instead of a geezer...
He is one year older than her.
When you're an edgy teenager on lemmy, anyone older than 22 is a geezer.
Exactly... he's a geezer. She needed to go with someone younger. If we assume she wins (twice), then Walz will be close to 70 before it is 'his turn'. What a waste. If Dems had gone with someone younger then they could keep the momentum of the youth support AND they'd have someone ready to take over when Harris is done. Now, they'll have to start over in 8 years.
I read that he doesn't want to take his shot at the White House. If Harris wins the election he plans to retire after her second term. She didn't want a veep who saw her as a stepping stone to the Oval Office.
Whether that is wise we will figure out on 2028 (hopefully) but if it's true it provides some context.
I don't necessarily think that the VP spot being a lead-up to a presidential run should be one of the top considerations right now. We need to win this race, 2028 and 2032 can wait their turn.
Beyond that critique, there's a lot the Harris-Walz ticket can do to line up future Dem candidates for many races. For one, this is a big leftward shift for the Dems. That opens up the board for the Squad to make a run in the future. That opens up a path for other, more progressive candidates to fill other positions. We have no idea what the Harris cabinet will look like and a strong cabinet position is also an excellent prelude to a presidential campaign.
Plus, I don't want to get my hopes too high here and indulge in fantasy, but look at what this is doing to Republicans. What if that party shatters post-Trump? Maybe in two: a returning center-right party and an actual fascist party? If the Republicans try to retake the center, that could drive the Dems further left longterm.
tldr, a Harris presidency could go many ways, and I'm not ready to be a pessimist yet! I think this is a good thing especially because it sets us up to do even better in the future!
That is where I'm finding any comfort in the decision. I totally agree that #1 priority has to be getting elected.
Crazy this dude is only a year older than her. Super happy with the pick btw
Black don't crack baby
Being overweight and sedentary also ages you terribly quickly.
He also grew up on a farm and was in the military, sun exposure can greatly accelerate aging of the skin.
And the military ages everything under the skin
Half the pictures I see of him, he reminds me Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston).
Your revolution is over, Mr. Trump. Condolences. The bums lost. My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Donald?
The bums will always lose!
https://youtu.be/VwcKwGS7OSQ
When I saw Guthrie I assumed it would be the song about Trump's dad written by Guthrie. (Unfortunately, I can't find Guthrie performing it himself)
Bonus Guthrie song about the Farmer-Labor Party since Walz is technically a member.
either that or Werner Herzog
Y'know that works for me
Where’s the money, Lebowski?
I was hoping it was Kelly or Walz over Shapiro.
To me, as Bernie Sanders flavored "Socialist", Walz is an amazing pick.
However I had a preference for Kelly since I strongly believe that his history as an astronaut and his popularity in a state like AZ could help drive a lot of independent voters to the Democrat's platform come November.
All that said, progressives know that progressive policy is also extremely popular when messaged broadly and communicating the benefits to the invidual and country. Hopefully Kamama & Walz use their experince with their A* campaign team to drive that home. And then fucking deliver.
I think Kelly was the best political pick for sure. But Kelly is sure to win again in AZ. They need his vote in the Senate.
And that's McCain's seat; not a safe blue one. It's the right call. Everyone is good moving into the election. Smooth, competent, unified as everything needs to be to ensure our democracy survives Trump and his MAGA cult.
I like it.
Her stepkids call her Mamala.
Not sure why, but learning this was one of the most humanizing thing I've seen about almost any politician.
Apparently Hillary Clinton really likes spicy foods. She ate raw jalapenos like potato chips on the campaign trail, according to one aid.
For some reason this just makes me sad I love spicy food too, not make her more likeable... That's almost definitely on my biases against her from the '16 primaries tho.
Who knows, maybe if you had a chance to chat with her over a nice meal of spicy food, you could find some common ground (besides the food). Or if nothing else, she has some interesting stories. Like, when she was starting out she worked as a civil rights activist in Alabama proving that "segregation academies" were discriminating against Black applicants in violation of the law. They openly assured her that they would not let Black students in. More broadly, this proved that the Nixon administration was not enforcing the law.
Health care, I'm sure she has plenty to say that is far more nuanced than the sound bites that get posted to social media. Social mobility, educational opportunity, racial justice, the justice system, foreign policy. I would love to hear her thoughts, even if I don't agree with everything.
Dude, dinner and a frank conversation with Hillary Clinton would be one of the highlights of my life. She has seen some shit.
It really says a lot that all you did was mention a progressive thing she did and this seems to have upset several people who still want to cling to their GOP implanted delusion that she is the neoliberal devil.
I'm just migrating from lemmy.ml. A couple of downvotes is a nice upgrade from the atmosphere over there.
Did Sean get her on Hot Ones yet?
Alas, no. She did do an interview with Between Two Ferns, though.
Me moo
I believe Walz is a good pick because he'll drive the more apathetic voters into the voting booths. He helps keep the momentum of hope Harris has going for her right now. Plus Kelly will hop onboard anyway.
This is a side of the old Blue buffoons I wish we had seen years ago.
They didn't want to pull an incumbent Democratic Senator in a swing state. Too risky.
It's an interesting pick for sure. I was also thinking Kelly as the obvious, safe answer to score cheap points and also maybe shore up AZ. Walz is more of an optimistic, less cynical pick that leans into the progressive side further. It's possible that's what's needed to keep the momentum going.
Kelly would have been a political disaster. His gun control stance would alienate a lot of pro-gun moderates and his Senate seat would almost certainly end up going to a Republican.
Shapiro would have been the politically safest choice because he'd all but guarantee Pennsylvania, which Harris needs to win. But his handling of college protests has been disgusting.
Walz is a great pick. Veteran, teacher, football coach, Congressman, and Governor is a heck of a resume. He was also the highest-ranked enlisted man to ever serve in Congress.
He has also been willing to defy his party. He sided against the party with the bank and GM bailouts, and was even endorsed by the NRA until they became 100% partisan.
He's like a less-privileged, Democratic John McCain.
I really like Walz partially because he's not the obvious pick for political maneuvering. It indicates he was picked because he was the right choice, not just because it was politically expedient. Shapiro and Kelly could both be dismissed as just chosen to win a state, not because they're actually the best choice to serve as VP.
Uh oh Donny! He's a veteran, too! You wouldn't shit on a veteran, right?
You mean again, right?
Oh of course! My bad
I'm curious what voters will think of the two VP candidates military service.
JD Vance was in the Marine Corps as an corporal for 4 years and served in Iraq, but he served as a combat correspondent, a military journalist, not in a combat capacity.
Walz was in the Army National Guard as an enlisted soldier for 24 years. AFAIK he was never in combat, but his specialty (heavy artillery) was definitely a combat-oriented one. He also achieved the rank of Command Sergeant Major, which is a very high rank for an enlisted soldier.
IMO, being in the Marine Corps sounds more impressive than being in the National Guard. But, 4 years as a combat correspondent sounds a lot less impressive than 24 years, starting out in artillery and moving up to a Command Sergeant Major role.
Vance was not an officer. I don't mean that disparagingly, he just wasn't. He served a 4 year enlistment.
If you're comparing their careers, a sergeant major is a titan compared to a corporal. One of them was primarily concerned with taking pictures and not getting shot. The other made a career studying the art of leadership. It's literally not even a contest.
Oops, I thought Vance was an officer, not an enlisted member. Thanks for the correction.
As for Walz, I don't know how quickly he advanced through the ranks, but IMO a Command Sergeant Major is one of the most impressive titles. It's a leadership rank but done the hard way. If you enter the military as an officer, you immediately outrank 80% of the military. A Command Sergeant Major has to practice the difficult art of leading people who technically outrank them.
Yeah. And quite often they're the ones responsible for standing up to the officers to protect the privates. I've had bad ones but a good sergeant major can make a huge difference in a unit.
I'm all about someone who can protect the privates.
You can ask John Kerry about that
As much as I would have liked to see her make a strategic pick who could help her win an at risk state like Arizona or Pennsylvania, he has less baggage than Shapiro.
I think too, there's strategy in a non-strategic pick. The cynics would have said "Oh, she only picked Shapiro because she needs Pennsylvania" or "Yeah, yeah, he's an astronaut, but she wants Arizona".
In this case? I think he's going to be a delight to watch. He'll devastate Vance in the debate.
I think he's pretty strategic, not to any specific state, but to rural Middle America in general. He grew up working on a farm, worked in a factory for a bit, joined the army then worked as a teacher and football coach, he's the salt of the earth common American vance pretends to be. Not saying he'll turn all the rural areas blue but even going from say 20% to 25% will help a lot in those swing states which have a large rural population.
Yeah, but he's no salt-of-the-earth type like JD Vance who is a hilbilly^*^ who attended Yale Law and then worked for totally normal guy Peter Thiel at his Venture Capital firm in San Francisco.
* Not really a hilbilly
I can see that for sure. Do you think his appeal is stronger than Kelly's?
As a resident of a neighboring state, I'm excited to get to vote for someone from somewhere so close in a national election. If my annecdata happens to apply to more than just me that might help in Iowa, Wisconsin and the Dakotas (although culturally the dakotas are more comparable to their neighbors to the west, while Minnesota is culturally closer to Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin)
Granted I only married into a Minnesotan family and my experience with the Dakotas is fairly limited, but I would have said that they're a pretty broad spectrum from east to west, especially in South Dakota. Rapid City is definitely pretty similar to Montana and Wyoming, but Mitchell, Sioux Falls, and Fargo are all far more similar to Minnesota
Then again, I'm thinking "culturally" not "politically," so if you're thinking about how they vote, you're probably right that they're likely more similar to MT than MN.
Think of it this way: Minnesota has a population of 5.7M, and almost 3M of that is in the metro area of Minneapolis. It's not quite up to the level of Chicago or New York, where that one blue metro area completely dominates state politics, but it's close.
What I'm getting at is while Minnesota does have areas that are more like the Dakotas, those aren't the places where most of the people live.
I see your point, although it doesn't match my anecdotal experience. People from the Twin Cities might vote differently than people in the small rural towns, but many of the everyday attitudes and cultural associations are pretty similar statewide, regardless of whether they are rural or urban. And in my experience, people from the Cities have a lot more in common culturally with the eastern Dakotas, Iowa, and Wisconsin than they do with Chicago and rural Illinois or with Montana and Wyoming.
What a lovely term
So would a piece of cheese.
Or a fluffy enough pillow.
She only picked him because she needs to show that she's committed to fixing immigration, because he's from a border state. ;)
I still wonder if Kelly would have delivered more cheap voter appeal, but Walz is doubtless the best pick on merit and policy and will be the better asset as VP should she win.
In the end though I'm just so happy it's not Shapiro (please announce it officially so I can breathe).
I had money on Kelly but Walz fits really well.
For all we know Kelly harbours presidential ambitions.
Walz seems like the kind of guy just happy to be there.
After feeling absolutely hopeless with the democratic direction for basically 3 years, I had put out of my mind the liklihood that they would pick Walz.
As a MN resident I floated him like 4 months ago as a Biden replacement over shitlibs like Newsome, but I honestly didn't expect leadership to consider him for anything other than his current position
I'll be sad to see him go but I'm much less nihilistic about the general now, so I'll take it.
“Kamala Walz” sounds like an Australian dance.
Anyway, after seeing Walz’s record I think he’s a great choice. Unfortunately as VP he’s not a policy-maker, even though the VP can wield some influence, but hopefully his presence will drive things in a positive direction.
Xena & Gabbie dancing for freedom?
Sweet.
One thing I've noticed is almost any female politician, we refer to them by either their first name or the full name, but rarely by their last name. Meanwhile male politicians are almost exclusively referred to by their last name only.
Once I made this realization, I started making a conscious decision to stop saying Kamala and began referring to her as Harris.
I'm ready for a Harris/Walz administration.
Good point. Maybe some minor unconscious psychological bias toward familiarity, therefore reduced expectations and respect for her position.
I feel like this belongs here:mahna mahna
I was real worried she was gonna re-saddle her campaign with an anti-Palestine running mate. This is a relief and gives me some hope for this Nov.
We can now stand on a solid ticket from top to bottom. Waltz will wipe the floor with Vance.
Waltz will waltz over Vance.
Just an FYI - although it is spelled Walz, he pronounces it walls
Republicans wanted to build the Walz. Well now’s their chance!
I was going to make a joke about the official state dance but Minnesota oddly does not have one. Another recent VP came from a state without an official state dance cough cough Biden cough cough
Thank Christ.
Maybe there’s some hope for Gaza yet.
this is the pick I was hoping for!
Never heard of this guy but a quick search suggests he's got a decent record. I'm not American though so my opinion doesn't matter, but looks like a good pick to me!!
I live in Minnesota and he's been amazing as governor. So many progressive policies passed with the slimmest of majorities in the legislature.
Ill be saddened to lose him as governor, but to see him go onto larger issues and to help more people -- I guess that's a sacrifice we can make. Flanagan seems to a be competent lieutenant gov, so we're still helmed by good people.
Go Harris / Walz!
Good! Harris could have screwed herself with some of the other candidates
I absolutely love a little bit of good news in the morning!
This is okay. Although I think they should've picked Hunter, because he has cooler criminal charges than Trump, and would've been able to out flank the republicans on the crime front.
Great news
The best possible choice she could have made. It fills me with joy the democratic party didn't stand in the way. I for sure thought she was going to pick Obama's boy Shapiro.
Everybody thought she was going to pick Shapiro. Kamala's just full of surprises.
Does this mean Steve Martin returns to SNL?
This is reassuring. I've claimed for a while that Dems are excellent political tacticians, but MAN do they suck at the long-term strategies due to being unwilling to play hardball. Meanwhile, the Right are great at long-term strats and often fail when it comes down to making quick, tactical decisions that fall outside their plans. Then Harris here stepped in after an honestly excellent choice by Biden, and we are seeing just how skillful someone on the Left can be when there isn't any time to be a moron.
Dems, in our own way since 1980.
I live in a blue state and was planning on leaving the president option blank. Especially for Biden, and even for Harris.
I am now actually seriously considering filling in that bubble for Harris / Walz
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I’m not familiar with this man - he seems old?
I was hoping she would go with Buttigieg as he’s a lot younger and has his head screwed on plus is able to go on Fox and leave intact.
He's 60. One year older than Harris. By comparison, Kennedy is 70 and Trump 78.
Yes but the right will just see aging old grey man.
Which is what they like, go look at the Republicans in Congress.
Oh for sure.
Thankfully the more I see about Walz the more I like.
Ageism still isn't cool.
I meant in that it was a primary insult from the right that is sure to come out again as they have a very limited arsenal.
Kinda hard to lob "he's old" insults when your candidate is 78.
Yeah I know but it probably won’t stop them.
Anyway I think he’s great
I think this was a poor pick. Penn's governor was a good candidate, but also didn't have the George Flyod riots in his political past. You're already seeing Republicans key in on that.
Shapiro is also very anti-Palestine and centrist so... nobody wants him if they can have Walz instead. Walz has accomplished far more positive things than Shapiro.
We need actual social democrats. The great things our nation has weren't the things brought on by centrism, but by progressives like FDR. Tim Walz is just that kind of guy. Democrats need people who won't dedicate their career to attempting bipartisanship or "reaching across the aisle" when the other side of the aisle is the alt-right, and they need someone who isn't controlled by corporate money. Because that kind of refusal to fight back against the right is what got the US into the mess it's in now. Tim Walz doesn't sucker up to fascists, as opposed to centrist Democrats.
Shapiro has a sexual harassment coverup allegation (for a close aide, not himself) and what appears to be serious mismanagement of a stabbing case, where a woman's death was initially ruled a murder, but ultimately his office refused to re-examine the case. It's going before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and might be heard before the election. Harris doesn't need an October Surprise to derail her momentum if it makes Shapiro look bad.
Huh I didn't know about that. Maybe Walz is a better pick then.
I don't ever wanna hear any move about how we need to get old white rich people out of politics, cause you guys clearly don't mean it. This guy is the exception, but so was sanders? Come on.
Get some young blood like buttegieg in there please
He is one year older than her. He is 22 years younger than Biden.
The dude was a teacher and member of the national guard. His net worth before he became governor was $13,000. If that's rich, then we've solved poverty, I guess.
Walz is rich? Wut?
Yuck no. Pete is not what is needed.
I'd be cool with Buttegieg being Secretary of State. Can we push for that?
He would be perfect for the role, and honestly probably more effective use of his talents than as VP.